Compensator for carton conveyers



1 636 014 I July 1927' G. A. ROBINSON COMPENSATOR FOR CARTON CONVEYERS Original Filed Oct.l6, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

eaonen A. noramson, or 34mins cnaax, MICHIGAN, Assmnoa 'ro rmwm'nc' scam: conrona'rron, urn, or nonronx DOWNS, uassacnosa'r'rs, A oonromn- TION' OF MASSACHUSETTS.

\ GOMPENSATOR FOR QARTON CONVEYEBS.

Original application iiled October 18,1922, Serial No. 594,796. Divided and thin application iiled January 9, 1826.

This invention is a division of my application for a carton feeding and machine, filed October 16, 1922, Ser1al No. 594,796, and relates particularly to the carton feed conveyer and its drive. Although prior of general utility and capable of employof knocked-down cartons is supported in vertically edgewise juxtaposed position on a horizontal conveyer, as distinguished from machines of the vertical stack type in which the cartons'are supported flatwise upon each ever, make it essential that thev conveyer' other in a pile.

With a convey-er of this type, it is desirable that the pack automatically shall be moved forwardly a distance substantially equal to the thickness of'the carton removed at ,each operation 'of the carton transfer If it were not for the variawerenot for the danger of destroying the bottoms of the cartons, the conveyer might bedriven. continuously. 'These factors, howshall move only with the pack and that the pack shall move forward a distance substantially equal tothe the thickness of the carton removed. I, therefore, employ a drive for I the conveyer which is continuous in the sense that the driving-force is sufficient to carry the carton pack forwardly only while the cartons are being removed and which in a sense is intermittent, in that the. conveyer and pack move onlywith each other, the arrangement being such that the drivin force is I automatically restored upon reduction thereof, due to the successive removal of the cartons from the conveyer.

Detachably mounted on the conveyer to move therewith is a follower which constantly bearsagainst. the rearmost carton of the pack. The formostcartons on the conveyer are successively and singly removed therefrom and transferred to a carton ,ocket or receiver. preferably being opened uring such transfer, by any suitablemechanism, as

opening Serill Io. 80,254.

for example, the mechanism disclosed in my said application, Serial No. 594,796. When elty are particularl pointed out in the appended claims. T roughout the specification. and drawings like reference characters are employed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is. a side elevation partly in section,

of the automatic compensating feed mechanism at the delivery end of a carton conveyer of the type shown in my prior applicanon Serial No. 594,796.

Fig.2 is a detail view of the ratchet system of said feed. I i

3*is a furthen detail of the same in opposite, phase of throw.

Fig.4 is a partial plan view of Fig. 1,

and l Fig.5 a detail view of the follower block. I have indicated at 40 a conveyer frame,

'and at ll-a horizontally disposed conveyor of the chain feed type running on sprockets,

one of which is indicated at 42. Supported on the conveyor in vertically edgewisejuxtaposed position is a pack of cartons C which are thus advanced longitudinally of the frame towards the carton transfer mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 20 in Figs. 1 and 4, where the foremost cartons in the pack are successivel removed therefrom. For the purposes 0 this application,

the carton transfer mechanism 20 is-shown as a transverse slide which acts to remove the endmost carton of the pack from the dis drive comprising a ratchet, 50 mounted on the sprocket shaft 51 and rotated by a pawl loo 52 carried by the short arm 53 of a bell crank lever which is loosely mounted on the shaft 51. This pawl is reset by an eccentric 60 on the main power shaft 61 of the n1a-.

chine through a rod 62 which is connected at its upper end to the long arm 54 of the bell crank lever and its lower end is forked to embrace the eccentric 60 and be engaged thereby whenever the rod 62 lowers. lhe arm 54 is also connected with a continuous driving force, as the spring .55 which is fastened at 56 to the base of the machine and continuously tends to rock the pawl arm 53 and thus turn the sprockets 42 to advance the conveyer 41, (Fig. 2). This spring thus constitutes a predetermined motive power for the conveyer drive.

The return motion of fected by the eccentric which resets the pawl Whenever the transfer mechanism 20 has reduced the number of cartons sufi'ic'ient ly to allow the spring 55 to draw down'the *arm 54 so that the eccentric 60 finds bearing at its bottom, (Fig. 3). lit thus resets the pawl to advance the carrier under the action of the spring 55 wheneverthe reduction of pressure adjacent the transverse slide permits the action of the spring 55. The spring 55 therefore keeps the pressure within predetermined" limits on the blanks in advance of the follower 45. This follower 45- consists of a heavy block having pins 46, (Fig. 5) in its lower face which engage with each of the* conveyer chains 41. As the cartons are laced on the conveyer the block 45 is p aced behind them as a follower to hold the cartons erect and to insure their advance and their free presentation to the transfer mechanism 20. When the carton pack requires replenishment, the follower 45 is detached from the f conveyerchains, without stopping either the conveyer or the machine, the pasekrefilled, and the follower replaced on the chains in position to again bear against the rearmost carton in the pack an'd'feed the pack forwardly as the chains rotate? p In order to havethe transfer mechanism 20 accurately and evenly engage .the edge of the most advanced carton in the pack ,and remove it therefrom without danger of crumpling or tearing it, it is necessary that the blanks be presented with a uniform pressure as maintained by the ratchet connection 5'0 and the spring 55 which keeps the conveyer block or follower 45 up against the carton pack; The tension on the spring 55 is restored at frequent'intervals by the eccentric .60. Thus, the driving force for the conveyer, which may be by spring or weight, but as here shown is by spring (55) 1s a continuous force in that it is constantly in condition. to be applied, but is only restored intermittently, i. e. only as the endmost cartons are successively removed from the de- 7 60 automatically the pawl 52 is eflivery end of the conveyer by the ca'rton stroke of the carton transfer mechanism. As

the cartons are successively removed, the

spring gradually loses'power and requires resetting. when the arm 54 has been drawn down to the position shown in Fig. 3, the eccentric actsv to re-set the parts by raising the rod 62 (dotted line showing of Fig. 3) to withdraw the pawl 52 from the ratchet 50 and carry it back a tooth space,

When this condition occurs, i. e.

in the ratchet, thereby retensioning the spring.

Various modifications in the construction and operation of the device may obviously be resorted to, all without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. in a feed for carton blanks or the like, a transfer mechanism, and a conveyer dc livering thereto under pressure, a pawl and ratchet drive for the conveyer, means for actuating the drive at predetermined pressure, and means for resetting the pawl to -maintain the delivery pressure constant after reduction, through transfer.

2. in a feed for carton blanks or the like, a transfer mechanism, and a. rotatable endless conveyer delivering thereto under pressure, a pressure actuating drive for the conveyer, and means for restoring the driving pressure to maintain the delivery pressure constant after reduction through transfer.

3. inv a -feed for knock-down cartons, a

transfer mechanism, a rotatable endless conveyer delivering thereto, means for maintaming a driving force on said conveyer, and means automatically effective upon reduction of the driving force by removal of the cartons from said conveyer to restore said driving force.

4.1m a feed for knock-down cartons, a transfer mechanism, a rotatable endless conveyer delivering thereto, means for maintaining a driving force on said conveyer, and means automatically effective upon reduction of the drivin force by removal of the cartons from sai conveyer to restore said driving force, and a. follower moving with the conveyer and adapted to continuously bear against the rearmost carton on the conveyer, and detachable from said conveyir to permit replenishment of the carton pac a 5. lin a feed for knock-down cartons, an

tance substantially equal to the thickness of the carton removed at each stroke of said transfer mechanism, and means automatically effective upon reduction of the driving pressure by removal of the cartons from the conveyer to restore said driving force.

6. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a transfer mechanism, a conveyer delivering thereto, a ratchet fast on one of the conveyer shafts, a pawl normally engaged with said ratchet, means for maintaining a driving force on said pawl, and means automatically effective upon reduction ,of the drivin force by removal of the cartons from sai conveyer to disengage said pawl from said ratchet and restore said driving force.

7. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a transfer mechanism, a rotatable endless carton conveyer, means for maintaining a potential driving force on said conveyer, and automatic means to re-establish periodically the potential driving force of said driving means.

8. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a transfer mechanism, a rotatable endless car ton conveyer, means for maintaining a potential driving force on said conveyer, and automatic means to maintain substantially constant the potential driving force of said driving means.

9. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a transfer vmechanism, a rotatable endless carton conveyer, means for maintaining a potential driving force on said conveyer, and intermittently opera-ting means for automatically-reestablishing the potential 'driving force of the driving means.

10. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a

' transfer mechanism, a horizontally disposed rotatable endless conveyer, means for maintaining a potential driving force on said conveyer, and automatic means for periodically restoring the potential driving force of the driving means as it becomes depleted by removal of cartons from said conveyer.

11. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a-

. transfer mechanism, a conveyer delivering thereto, means for maintaining a driving force on said conveyer, means automatically effective on reduction of the driving force by successive removal of the cartons on said conveyer periodically to reestablish said driving force, and a follower moving with the conveyer adapted to bear against the rear-most carton of the conveyer and positively and detachably connected to said conveyer to permit replacement of the carton ack. p 12. In a feed for carton blanks or the like, a transfer mechanism, a conveyer delivering thereto, a pawl and ratchet for the conveyer, J a potential driving force acting through said pawl and ratchet to drive said conveyer, and means for periodically re-establishing said driving force as the cartons are successively removed from the conveyer.

13. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a transfer mechanism, a rotatable-endless conveyer delivering thereto, and a potential driving force for driving said conveyer, effective to move said. conveyer only as each carton is individually removed by the transfer means.

14. In a feed for knock-down cartons, a transfer mechanism, a carton conveyer movable in one direction only and delivering to the transfer mechanism, means for maintaining a driving force on said conveyer,

and means automaticallyv effective on reductaining a potential driving force on saidconveyer, and automatic means to maintain substantially constant the tential driving force on said conveyer w ile maintaining the uni-directional travel of the conveyer.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

GEORGE A. ROBINSON.

for knock-down cartons, a" 

